Sora's Shadow
by UnknownUnseenUnheard
Summary: The shadow in Sora's heart is old. It has slept for so long, but now it sees. It contemplates Sora, contemplates it's own existence, contemplates everything. Vanitas centric one shot.


**Sora's Shadow**

There is light.

There is darkness.

There is nothingness.

And then, there's me.

I am the Dark. I am the thing that whispers into your head at night. I am the abomination that sinks under your skin. I am the tendrils of smoke that embraces the essence of your very soul.

I am the thing you surrender to when the shadows at last consume you.

I am the wild beast that protects you with a snarl and swipe of vicious claws.

I call you my home.

You call me your curse.

I am the Dark.

The Other is the light.

We were once one.

Then, we split apart.

But you… You put us back together again. How? How did you do it? How could you have done it? I… I don't understand. How? It makes no sense. Who you are, what you've done, what you've become…

Are you human?

Or perhaps…

Perhaps, you are something more.

Something sleeping.

Something eternal.

Something old.

I hear your voice, calling out.

How did you know?

How could you have known?

How can someone like you even be?

We, light and dark, come to you. You call. You offer home. You offer sanctuary. To us, you give your heart.

We sleep.

We always sleep.

Then, the day comes.

I can feel him. I can hear him. Out there, his presence echoes. The Other inside this heart feels it too, and he mourns. He cries out.

That thing that opposes you.

I call it Master.

The Other calls him Friend.

You call him a monster, and strike him down with an unending fury that I momentarily confuse you for myself.

We here, light and dark, we don't know what to feel. I feel vindictive, in a sense. I was forgotten. I have been cast away. You are what embraced me, gave me purpose, gave me life.

The Other feels nothing. There is nothing to feel. His existence is but a rejection of all. He did not have a happy life. All he cares for is now gone. All that's left is you, and if you are all he has left, then you are what he shall protect, with all his heart.

Except, his heart is longer here.

The Other is gone. He has taken a part of you with him, for you have done what I least expected, as always.

For her, you would surrender your soul, your mind, your very existence.

I felt everything fall apart.

I could hear you drowning.

So, I embraced you, as you embraced me. If we burn, we burn together.

There is a light, at the end of the tunnel. At first, I think the Other has found us again. But, no. It's not the Other. What lies at the end is something different, something twisted.

Your memories lie to you.

I try to warn you.

I speak through them, through these constructs, these beings made from the very essence of your memories.

Everything here is a lie, a construct of your imagination.

Those who try to remember too hard remember naught but lies.

Your friendship is what you should value most, not the things out of your reach.

What's important is what's right in front of you, what you remember here and now.

But, you don't listen. You never listen, have never listened, are incapable of it, because you are stubborn. You burn with passion. It's your downfall.

Those chains ensnare you.

She has you now.

Someone l loved, admired, looked up to, wrapped in a chain of memories, knowing the deception that has bound you but not giving a damn because all you see, all you ever see, is someone who needs help. And you always help, don't you?

After all, I'm darkness incarnate, and you embraced me without a second thought. Yes, you feared me. Yes, you were cautious. Yes, you flinch away. But, you were determined. I was lost. I was alone. I was drowning. You saw that, and it didn't matter what I was. You tossed aside your fear.

You're a fool.

You're an idiot.

I can see why the Other likes you.

I like you too.

He comes back, eventually.

He's surprised, when I hug him. I notice the company. Really, it's odd. There's the Doll, there's the Light, there's me, then there's the angsty Teen who really misses some redhead. At least Teen and Doll get along.

However, when push comes to shove, when it all comes down…

I was born from the dark.

I can hear it calling to me, and I embrace it. I let it fill me. I love it! It's so liberating, exhilarating, amazing! Except… I don't notice. It's hurting you. This isn't like the other times. The silver haired one comes, except, apparently, he was never the enemy. How was I to know? Literally every other silver head is evil. I should know. I was evil right alongside them.

So, I am enchained again. They wrap around me tight, and I look up.

The Other, the Light, he looks at me with such disappointment.

Had I been someone else, it might have actually wounded me.

But me?

Oh, I'm a twisted thing.

I toss my head back and laugh.

I am the Dark, Sora.

I am the darkness in your heart, the darkness you embraced, I am where all your dark emotions come from, I am what awaits in the very core of your heart.

I am Vanitas, and my story isn't done yet.

Will you acknowledge me at last, I wonder? I'm not some stranger. I'm not your brother. I'm not your friend. I am not your teacher. I am you. I am you, and I will force you to acknowledge that. And, I warn you Sora… Fight me, and I will break you.

For I am the Dark, and I love you.

But I hate you too.

The weak die, so don't be weak.

Because, if you are?

I will break you.

I am Vanitas. I am the Other. Remember my name. Remember me, for I will always be there, in the back of your head, whispering into your ear. I'm your devil, after all. It's my job. Dream, and remember. Remember, and survive. Remember, and embrace. Because, our story? It's coming to a close. And, I have one goal in mind. I don't care how. I don't care the sacrifice. I don't care if I have to destroy all you love. What I care for most is you. So, you are all I will protect. If the rest of the world's burn, well… So be it.

So, carry on. And remember.

I am the shadow.

I am the night.

I am the other half.

I am you.


End file.
